Village Green

The Village Green sits just outside Petersfield as a proper little pocket of Hampshire countryside - the sort of place locals know well but visitors often miss. It's essentially a nature reserve built around an old village common, with walking paths threading through wildflower meadows and past scattered trees that look like they've been standing there for centuries.

You won't find dramatic views or headline attractions here. What you get instead is quiet - the real kind, the sort where you can actually hear birds. There's a network of trails that take between 20 minutes and an hour depending on which route you fancy, and they're manageable for families with younger kids, though the ground can get boggy after rain.

The wildlife is the draw: butterflies in summer, resident bird populations, and if you're lucky, the occasional deer. Photographers who appreciate wildflowers will want to come May through August when the meadows are at their best. It's not a destination attraction - you're not driving an hour for this - but if you're staying nearby at Woodlands Camping, it's a cracking spot for a morning walk to stretch your legs without any faffing about with visitor centres or entry fees.

Best visited earlier in the day when it's quieter. The paths are well-marked but bring decent shoes - it's genuinely damp in places. Spring and early summer work best when the meadows are in bloom. Solitude is the real selling point here.